


These Devils of Mine

by Shadowangel615



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Death, Demon, Demon Apocalypse, Inspired by Shin Megami Tensei, Kitsune, apocalyptic setting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-02-27 11:08:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18737809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowangel615/pseuds/Shadowangel615
Summary: This is a (Mostly) original story I was thinking of in my spare time.Thirty years ago, an event called the Requiem caused seven pillars of light known as the Seven Streams, to converge on one another. At the epicenter of the explosion was a gateway between Hell, Limbo, Heaven, and the Material World. Demons escaped into the world and wreaked havoc everywhere they wet. A large amount of humanity was eliminated in this process, but the ones that survived persevered. They learned to sway demons to their side using conversation and fought alongside one another. A group among them was created, the Praetorians. They are the first and last line of defense against the demons, using their own kind against them. One such Praetorian, Terry, meets a Kitsune, or a Nine Tailed Fox. Though he is hesitant at first, the two become allies. However, something strange is happening during this, and so the two must seek out what's going on and if they can stop it...





	1. Prologue

  _"All Goes Onward and Outward... And Nothing Collapses, And To Die Is Different From What Any One Supposed, And Luckier."-_ Final Section of Whitman's "A Child Said, What Is Grass?"

 

 What calamity befell man that day when the Seven Streams converged on one another and opened the Well of Spirits, he often wondered to himself. What foul higher beings would allow this to happen to Man, to let them be brought to the Apocalypse and forced to survive like starving wild animals. But they didn't know that Man would find a way to persevere. Man learned to tame the wild beasts that came through the Spirit Well and temper their willpower. through simple conversations with the Demons, the creatures that rose from the well, one could befriend a demon and forge a bond that lasts for life. Those who use these demons as their allies are called Preatorians

 Terry and Michael walked side by side down the street of the empty city. The Requiem, as most had come to recognize it as, left the city in ruins. Crashed cars, broken street lights, rubble, and more littered the streets that once thrived with people, but those days had long been put to rest. The sound of feet padding around caught Michael's attention and forced him to look to his right. In the shadows, he could've sworn that he saw something dash by but assumed it was nothing more than his eyes playing tricks on him.

 "Hey Terry," Michael began, "can I ask you somethin'?"

 "Depends on the question." His partner said.

 "Do you believe in the Kitsune?" Michael asked.

 Terry didn't respond, he didn't believe in the Kitsune. Despite the fact that demons rose from the Soul Well, he'd not once seen a Kitsune in person. Though he'd heard rumors that they'd been around this block, he'd not once seen the fox Demons once. He'd heard they were Foxes with fur white as snow with red markings along their bodies that could breath fire so hot they could turn stone into magma. But these were myths to him as far as he'd known.

 Suddenly, child-like giggles echoed in the streets around them and stopped them in their tracks. They looked around themselves as it continued until swarms of spheres exited from the shadows of the ruined buildings. The sphere's were pure white with mouths full of square teeth and lips gleaming red.

 "Kodotero!" Terry exclaimed as he pulled a deck of Tarot Cards from his jacket.

 "There's so many..." Michael commented as they quickly fluttered around them.

 They giggled at the two nonstop until the two whistled and summoned forth the demons they had on standby. Terry summoned forth a tall, slender demon dressed like a magician with an exposed ribcage and a wide fang filled smile covering his decayed skin. Michael's, on the other hand, was a giant demon with a body of bronze and a featureless face, smoothed over with bronze. The Magician demon's name was Majukir while the giant was Brovelik. Both were minor demons unrecorded by history as they seemed insignificant at the time.

 Terry drew a card from his deck and saw the depiction of a ring of fire and smiled. He reached out to his Demon and watched as it took it without an issue. Michael ordered his demon to shield the two from the oncoming attack and it did so, pulling them close as the Kodotero dove downward. Majukir tretched his arms outward and the Tarot Card burnt away in his hand before a sudden inferno burst outward and incinerated all the Kodotero in an instant. Brovelik's body began to glow with the heat as it tried to resist giving in to the pain.

 The battle had ended as soon as it had begun, leaving the two unscathed thanks to the scorched giant and Magician Demon. But Terry seemed a bit more concerned about the battle than Michael was, as he had noticed something was off.

 "There were more than usual..." He mumbled.

 Michael gave him a confused look and said, "wait, what?"

 "Didn't you notice?"

 "I mean, there was a lot yeah but there's always lots of them."

 Terry crossed his arms and looked at the massive scorch marks they'd left on the battlefield, then felt a stronger presence all of a sudden. Michael felt it too, but the demon wasn't like anything they'd ever felt before. It seemed to bear similarity to a Daemon's energy, but also a demon's own. A Daemon was a stronger form of a demon, they were tall lenient beings with an extreme regenerative factor, able to heal from complete disintegration as well as their aetherial forms were indestructible. Their ability to cast magic was on par with even that of even a Devil, which were Gods among the Demon world as far as they knew.

 Suddenly, without warning, a ball of fire came out of nowhere and struck the ground before them, burning through the cement and leaving a pool of glowing magma in its wake. The Praetorians jerked their heads towards the direction it came from and were shocked to see a myth before them. A Kitsune approached them, and there was no way it could've been anything else. It's snow white fur, red markings, and nine tails. The Kitsune was as big as a grey wolf, but as agile as a cat as it jumped with athletic grace from car to car. It dashed between them and hopped onto a broken streetlight above them. It sat there with it's eyes focused on them, speaking through it's mind as well with a man's voice.

  _'Leave humans, this is no place for you.'_

 "It's a... Kitsune..." Terry said.

 "We're not leaving." Michael said.

  _'I don't think you understand. You trample my domain with your dirty shoes and steal what is not yours with your filthy hands. You are pests desecrating my home with your disgusting pink flesh and pungent scent. I should kill you both now, but in life I was taught to offer chances. But know I will only offer one.'_

 "We're not leaving." Michael said.

 Almost immediately after he said that, the Kitsune jumped down and lashed at Michael with his claws aimed at his throat and watched him drop to his knees, clutching his gushing throat. Terry dropped to Michael's side as the blond pat up blood and looked his friend in the eye. He reached out gasping for air as he choked on his life fluid, but his attempt proved vain. His body went limp and his head hung as Terry slowly set his friend on the ground. He felt his anger beginning to boil inside him and looked at the Kitsune with clenched fists.

 He handed his Tarot card deck over to Majukir and reached into his coat to pull out a Colt Single Action Army Revolver. The gun was made entirely from ebony and had  _'Ashes To Ashes'_ engraved on one side of it's extended barrel and  _'Dust To Dust'_ engraved into the other. His expression was clear, seething with anger as he pulled the trigger and sent a bullet spiraling through the air towards the Kitsune. He jumped out of the way as Majukir and Brovelik attacked as well. Majukir sent forward a swarm of locusts while Brovelik charged forward with heavy bronze footsteps.

 The locusts were dealt with easily, as a focused stream of fire from the Kitsune were more than enough to deal with them, especially if those flames were hot enough to turn cement into magma. Brovelik raised his fist high when he reached the Kitsune and tried to smash it, though it missed and the Kitsune's claws buried deep into his metal arm as he ran up it. The bronze giant tried flinging him off and nearly did, had Majukir not fired off a series of icicles at him.

 Terry fired off two more shots at the moving demon and missed, yet again. It tried pouncing on the boy, though he ducked under it and fired one more this time it grazed the shoulder of the Kitsune. Small red particles arose from the wound as he shifted his positioning to the boy. Majukir drew another Tarot card and snickered when he saw the depiction of a swirling black vortex on it. The card disappeared in a shroud of darkness and the magician demon opened up a small singularity between Terry and the Kitsune, pulling them in as they held on for dear life. The Kitsune destroyed the singularity in an instant, however. A single ball of fire was enough to remove it destroy it.

 Brovelik jumped into the air towards the Kitsune but a single large fireball hit him without issue and turned the entire front of his torso into molten bronze. Brovelik laid there, motionless and lifeless as the Kitsune had killed him. The crimson particles arose into the air, just like with the Kitsune's wound- except now it slowly took aart his body instead.

 Terry's anger only grew though. He fired his last two shots and missed once more before reloading his gun as the Magician created a rapier coated with blue flames. He dashed forward and thrust his weapon at the Kitsune with great expertise, but the Kitsune would only dodge his attacks as he struck at him. Majukir made a light slash at the demon's legs and missed for the final time, as he jumped and fired a strong stream of fire that left nothing left of his opponent in seconds.

 Now it was just him and Terry, a one on one. He'd finished reloading his weapon and felt nothing but a seething rage that gifted him with a strong lust for blood. The demon's blood. He fired off twice and nearly grazed the Kitsune with his second shot while his first missed. The nine tailed fox pounced at him with his jaws wide open and but caught nothing but the air as his prey stepped out of the way. Another two shots were fired but he missed again. The Kitsune pounced one last time but this time a sigle shot pierced his underbelly and sent him whirling through the air.

 The Kitsune landed on Terry's shoulder and dislocated it while also sending him to the ground as well. He yelled out at the pain and clenched his shoulder before seeing the Kitsune get up and pounce on him with what strength he had left. Terry grit his teeth as he watched it open its jaws and light a fire in it's throat to prepare for a stream of flame. He shut his eyes tightly, embracing death as he thought of the girl he'd made a promise to before he left on his patrol.

  _'Nada...'_ He thought as he tried to imagine that sweet and innocent smile of hers.

 The Kitsune hesitated and closed his jaws as he looked into the boys mind and saw what he was thinking about. He saw the rage and desire to kill him, but behind that was a longing to see a girl one last time before he died. Noticing the Kitsune in his moment of weakness, he kicked it off and aimed his weapon at the demon and smirked as he felt he'd won.

 The laughter of the Kodotero suddenly returned, the creatures having been attracted by the gunshots from their fight. He looked around as they swarmed them and laughed. Laughed their childish laughter as they slowly closed in.

  _'Go ahead and kill me,'_ The Kitsune said,  _'I won't stop you. But if you do then they will kill you instead. But if you want to live, then make a bond with me.'_

 "Why would you bother asking me something like that? So you can kill me?" He asked.

  _'I ask you to do it not for me but your comrade. And if not for him, then do it for her.'_ He said, ' _the choice is yours to make.'_

He looked around and saw the Kodotero closing in before he thought of Nada. He nodded and looked at the Kitsune, taking him up on the offer.

  _'Very well then, I am Yoshimori.'_ He said,  _'now say your name and finish our pact.'_

"My name?" He said, "yes, my name..."

 He thought for a moment, listening to the childish laughter all around them. He looked at Michael's body and saw his lifeless eyes staring at him and turned his gaze towards Yoshimori.

 "I am Terry." He said.

 A blinding light surrounded them and burnt away all the Kodotero near them but not all of them. The light faded and the two gazed towards the remnants of the swarm. Their wounds were healed now, and their energy restored. Terry reloaded his gun and aimed his gun at the swarm as Yoshimori stood before him, with streams of fire escaping his maw.

  _'From here on out, we fight together against the horde of enemies.'_ Yoshimori said.

 "No matter what." Terry added.

 The Kodotero were finally close to them, circling and trapping them within a massive swarm. Bullets flew as they sent forward smaller swarms but flames dealt with them easily whenever they got close. With every loss in the Kodotero swarm, the laughter died down by just a bit, but not enough at the start. Throughout the night and until morning came, there was only Terry and Yoshimori standing in a cloud of red particles that used to be the Kodotero. Terry fell to his hands and knees tired as Yoshimori panted softly beside him.

 Terry rolled onto his side and looked u at the morning sky with his smoking gun in his hand. He felt his newfound friend suddenly nuzzle into him and shut his eyes to sleep. He dreamed of seeing Nada again, seeing that smile of hers, but what Yoshimori was dreaming about was a mystery to him.

 When he came to, the Kitsune was sitting beside him. He sighed as he stood up and stretched his arms with a yawn before standing up and looking around him. The battlefield was no longer blanketed by a cloud of demon particles now. He looked down at Yoshimori and put his gun away before placing his hands in his pockets and looking down as he walked away wordlessly. The Kitsune followed at his side as they made their way back home, keeping his head down as well as they mourned the losses of Terry's friends.

 Terry suspected something was going on what with the massive swarms of Kodotero about. But he needed to know more before he brought up his suspicions to the commander back home. He looked towards Yoshimori and saw him bow his head in mourning. he grit his teeth and caught the Kitsune's attention. He knew the Nine Tailed Fox was faking it. He hardly knew Mihael, Majukir, or Brovelik after all. He turned his angry gaze back to the road and kept on walking.  
**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this short pilot to the story I'm working on! Sorry that it's so short, I'm just seeing how it does before I actually release any more chapters. Until then have a wonderful day/night!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I like to leave these concept notes (which is what I'm going to call them) that relate to these chapters so here's one now. The design for Michael was inspired by Hide from Tokyo Ghoul, while Yoshimori's design was inspired by Capcom's Amaterasu. Terry's design, on the other hand, was based off of what I've seen with most anime protagonists. What I tried to do that made him different from your classic anime protagonist, however, was give him the kind of personality that would make him seem like he showed compassion but at the same time have a cold view towards others.


	2. Chapter 1: Brotherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David is faced with Goliath, but he cannot do it alone. He must learn to fight alongside someone he hates most in order to defeat him.

_"The Only Redemptive Feature of War Is The Brotherhood It Forges." -Max Hastings_

 

 It's common to hear about the Hellhound Legion in this day and age. A company of flaming crusaders who ride atop Dire Hellhounds- giant wolves with the strength to topple entire buildings and were set ablaze by the flames of Hell, which also allowed them to leave tracks of fire in their wake. Their riders are just as ferocious, wielding weapons of an era where men wore steel into battle and struck with primitive weapons. Though these weapons are still just as dangerous as any. Terry had seen them before on plenty occasions, but never interacted with them. Doing so was a terrible idea, as they were no friend to man or demon. He learned that when they'd joined a battle and mowed down their opponents left and right. And his allies.

 As he and Yoshimori returned to the main camp using the hidden road, they came across fresh scorch marks in the shape of a wolf's paw. A clear sign of the aforementioned demons. The kitsune approached and sniffed it a couple times before looking at the Praetorian.

  _'It's not fresh, but the legion was here recently.'_ Yoshimori said.

 "At least you're good for something..." Terry mumbled to himself.

  _'Apologies if I have offended you somehow.'_ Yoshimori replied,  _'I only intend to please.'_

 "Just shut up, how old are the tracks?"

  _'Decently fresh, about two to three hours old.'_

 Terry nodded and stood up before gesturing to the Nine Tailed Fox to follow him and made sure to have his Colt at the ready, just in case they needed to fight off any flaming Wolf Riding Crusaders. They made their way through an alleyway, their eyes to the shadows and prepared to kill if needed. Terry halted Yoshimori, who looked  at him questioningly as he pointed to a barely visible rune on the ground.

 The Kitsune and the Praetorian continued through the alley until they were greeted with a giant sinkhole in the ground. Terry reached back into his coat and pulled a handkerchief out with a large T sewn onto it before he dropped it into the hole. Minutes later, the sound of machinery could be heard and up came the ladder of a firetruck for them to climb down on.

 Yoshimori jumped onto it first, carefully padding downward into the hole as Terry sat at the edge and gripped the rungs. The ladder was pulled down slowly for about five minutes before they found themselves on a crashed firetruck deep within the sinkhole. Several armed men with demons at their sides were their to greet them, other Praetorians who were assigned guard duty. Terry hopped off first and whistled for Yoshimori as a sign to follow.

 The kitsune hopped off beside them and left the guards in awe. They'd all heard stories of the Kitsune, but to see one with their own eyes was much more impressive than one would think. They walked through the cavernous area, their steps echoing off the wall as Earth Golems stood at the entrance. The massive giants were made of the earth itself, with stubby legs and a massive torso. Their arms were long and strong, and their hearts gleaming with orange diamonds that held their bodies together.

 Behind it was a large metal door, the last line of defense if demons ever attacked. The door was inscribed with various holy glyphs from various religions to keep demons of any kind from varying religions. Terry, however, simply grabbed the handle of the large heavy door and pulled it open before gesturing for his kitsune to enter first.

 Yoshimori was amazed at what he saw, homes built into the sides of a deep crevice created by earthquakes caused by the Requiem. People walked in crowds while men and women dressed from head to toe in black holding quarterstaves patrolled the streets to keep the peace. Yoshimori hadn't seen so many humans in one place since he was alive, only demons and lost souls down in Purgatory and Hell.

 Terry stopped by one of the houses and knocked on the door three times before a blond couple opened the door. The woman looked around before seeing Terry's expression, which was enough to tell her what happened. The couple were Michael's parents, close friends of Terry's that he'd come to see as his own parents after all they'd done for him. They trusted their son to him, and he broke that trust by letting their son die.

 "I'm sorry..." He said as he looked down not wanting to watch the mother as she broke down into tears, "at the very least, however, his death was quick."

 "I DON'T CARE HOW FAST HE DIED!" The mother yelled, "YOU LET MY SON DIE!"

 He winced at her word, which felt like a knife through the stomach.

 Suddenly, a young girl walked up behind the mother and asked, "mommy? Daddy? where's Michael?"

 Terry couldn't handle this anymore, tears filled his eyes as he squeezed them shut and ran off into the crowd and towards the one safe place he knew about. He ran and ran until he found a small hole big enough to crawl through. He moved through it as tears streamed down his face until he reached a hidden part of the cavern that only he knew about. A dim glow came from the crystals surrounding this place, much like a star filled sky.

 He dropped to his knees by the edge of a steep cliff that led into an unknown abyss before sobbing to himself quietly. He'd failed to avenge his fallen comrade, tore apart an entire family, left a child to grow up alone without a brother, and made a pact with his best friend's killer. He wanted to die after all this.

 Just as he was feeling this surge of emotions, Yoshimori approached his side and sat beside him with his gaze into the dark abyss below.

  _'Your partner's parents I assume?'_ Yoshimori asked.

 He looked up at the Kitsune and grit his teeth before saying, "you wouldn't understand, demons can't feel compassion."

 The Kitsune closed his eyes a moment before he looked up and replied with,  _'a demon who feels no compassion? Perhaps many demons are like that, so full of their own narcissistic desires. I envy them for that.'_

 Terry wiped away his tears and said, "Envy?"

  _'Yes, when I died I was judged in Limbo by the Court of Damnation. A collective of judges like Osirus and King Minos who decide the fate of the damned. As an animal, my soul was condemned to Hell from birth. But animals are given a choice much like the sinners offered a chance to redeem oneself. If they are willing to cast aside their guilt then they may enter the trials of purgatory, or suffer Hell if they did not see themselves worthy. For animals, casting aside our sins allows us to become spirits in the material plane or become reincarnated. If they are unable to come to terms with themselves, they are cast into Hell's Seventh Circle, Violence, and become trees to suffer pain from the harpies. I was offered this choice, though my guilt overpowered my will to live. The court saw my pain and said that I would walk the land of the living once more as a Kitsune, but would forever remember the guilt that weighs unto me until my second death.'_

 Terry was lost in confusion, but he understood the Kitsune well enough. He looked out into the hidden crystal filled cavern before letting out a soft sigh and rested his head in his hands. He looked to a makeshift grave down inside the crystals below and stood back up to make his way down to it.

 When he was before the grave he picked up a rock that rested before it. On the rock was the name, "Nada" engraved into it in cursive, marking the spot where the girl he once loved died. Yoshimori followed and widened his eyes as he saw the name and remembered from when he had nearly killed his companion. The name resonated in his head as if he was a church bell someone had rung.

 "It's a funny thing..." He said as he turned to Yoshimori with a smile that was clearly false, "love I mean."

 Yoshimori was speechless, Nada, the girl that he'd thought was alive and well, was buried in the ground in a cave isolated from the rest of the settlement.

 "When you love someone you never want to let them go. But when they die, you change. You become someone else. I loved Nada, and I never got to tell her that. I never got the chance to see her one last time, to tell her I love you." He said as he dropped the rock, "they wanted to throw her body out, so her soul could ascend. She was so pure and innocent, so optimistic- she was so childish. I asked to take her body out, and I did. Then I brought her here, her favorite place in the whole settlement and buried her in her favorite spot."

  _'Terry...'_

"I know no one can do that for me," he said, "especially after all the things I've done. But for now I do what I can to retain her memory. Every time I go on a patrol I've always made a promise to come back."

 Yoshimori shook himself from his shocked state and gazed up at his partner with his normal stare but said nothing. He'd heard all he needed and learned all there was about this girl. Yoshimori approached the rock Terry'd dropped and nudged it into place before he sat up straight.

  _'The dead deserve to be honored, no matter what. It's what they deserve after all these years of pain and torment.'_ Yoshimori said as he looked up at Terry,  _'wouldn't you agree?'_

 Terry huffed and turned towards the exit before saying, "maybe, but the life is still worth living, no matter how short it is."

 As he stormed out, Yoshimori seemed to frown at his response. It was clear that Terry despised him and that he didn't care about what happened to the Kitsune. All that seemed to matter to him was that he avenge the deaths of all those who had fallen trying to defend the last remnants of humanity. He soon followed however, and found him standing outside the crawlspace. He looked down at the fox demon with spite before he stuffed his hands into his pockets and made his way to his own home, which was built near the gate.

 He had earned his own home after rising in the ranks of the Praetorians. He had proven his ability to survive, for he would not allow himself to lay down his arms and be trampled over by the hordes of Demons ruling this grimdark world. If he had, then he would be forgotten just like the others who fought for man's survival.

 When he entered, he sat back in a chair after setting his revolver on a nearby table while Yoshimore rested near the doorway. He began to ponder what other demons could be real if Yoshimori was. This then led to his curiosity as to whether or not the High Heavens existed. If so, would they leave his soul to Hell for communing with a demon? Or would the pearly gates swing wide open for him and allow him to enter salvation, or, Elysium, or Valhalla, or, whatever it was called, because he had defended the ones he had cared about? No, he knew Hell had a claim over his soul after all the things he'd done. All the people he had killed because of his duty, all the comrades he had failed to save, he would always dream of himself running from a mass of rotting bodies who's voices he remembered. Men and women who had fought alongside him and Michael for years, men and women who had mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, daughters and sons... Now that Michael joined them, he found himself wondering if he could take the nightmares anymore.

 He snapped out of his suicidal contemplation and forgot where he was for a moment. He shook his head and he remembered what world he was in. He remembered the promise he made to himself when he learned of the demonic nature that laid within all humans. The one that was locked away deep within one's very soul. It was the very curse of one's humanity. The grim darkness that had bored its way into Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit and was passed down from parent to child. Though it was locked away, the key was never far. All it took was one bad apple to ruin the bunch, one slight breeze against the tower of blocks to knock it over. It was a glass prison that quarantined a contagious disease that would infect it's host if it broke from its fragile prison. It was his own human nature. If infected with even the smallest of sins, one's soul would be damned for all eternity. The Praetorians all knew this and were contempt with their own decisions to allow themselves to be damned until the end of days.

 In this world, repenting was a pointless act of begging to a god who is either nonexistant or dead already. Those who believed they were safe it churches when the Requiem began soon learned that a church was no more than an empty box. It was no house of God, for God would not have let his own children suffer if they were. Crosses were found to be nothing more than two sticks nailed together, the Quran was not the word of God, it was just words in a book. What about Shrines to the Japanese Gods in the Hugh Heavens or the Temples to the Gods of Olympus? They were just shrines and gateways to the Hell that awaited one's soul after death. Angels, Valkyries- anything that pointed towards any salvation was only a fabrication of one's very mind. There was only the dark afterlife in this grimdark world of theirs.

 Suddenly, a warning bell went off. Yoshimori lifted his head as he followed Terry, who grabbed his gun on the way out, to see what the issue was. Above them flew a number of winged, fire-breathing, demons in the shape of bats called the Alatumors. Then there was the gentle tremors that quickly grew stronger and stronger as a massive demon. He had his guesses, but he wanted to see if he was right. And right he was.

 When he passed the metal gate, he bore witness along with the other Praetorians guarding the gateway to one of the largest demons to ever exist. Nighogg, one of the dragons who gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree. The creature was massive, at least the size of a mansion, with wings so strong that they tore up the very streets as it landed with the wind alone. It's roar was greater than thunder, loud and intimidating while also making a normal human's vision fuzzy and empowering the demon's around it with strength. Nidhogg was followed by a horde of ghouls as well, small black creatures who crawled using their strong arms and lashing with the set of tentacles that replaced their legs. They bore no necks, instead had eyeless heads with circular mouths and three long tentacles for tongues.

 The Praetorians all opened fire on the demon horde while their own demons met the Ghouls in battle, all except Yoshimori, who had been told by Terry to stay by his side since he felt something was up. There was no way a horde of ghouls would follow a dragon into battle, especially a horde so large. There must have been a revenant controlling the army of demons instead. Then he spotted him, a cloaked figure standing atop Nidhogg's head. Who the Revenant was, he didn't care, as the horde needed to be dealt with first.

 The ghouls were beginning to close in on them and had already started pouncing on some of the Praetorians at the frontlines. Despite the Praetorians having the edge in their superior forms of technology, not even an edge like that could compare against the overwhelming numbers of their enemies and the firepower they brought with them. Nidhogg served as a means to disorient them while the horde of ghouls, who could close long distances rather quickly, would pounce and bring about the deaths of whoever was unlucky enough to be in their way. By now, this was more or less a losing battle for the Praetorians, who had been pushed back to the door, were fighting what seemed to be a losing battle. Nidhogg let off one final roar before he jumped down to join the fight.

 Terry fired off at two more ghouls before he was smacked into a wall by Nidhogg's tail, yet survived miraculously. Yamori was ready to go bound over to him but was stopped when Nidhogg stepped in his way. The cloaked figure all of a sudden stopped the horde as he got off Nidhogg to go over to Terry. The Ghouls parted as he walked up to the Praetorian who struggled to get up after his right arm was dislocated. He grabbed his gun with his left before it was smacked out of his hand by the revenant.

 Terry shakily managed to stand up with a scowl and said, "who are you."

 "I'm surprised to see you're still alive," He said, "old friend."

 "I don't know you." Terry spat.

 "What're you saying?" He asked as he lowered his hood.

 Terry's eyes widened at the sight of who it was, "no... Michael..."

 "In the flesh, or what's left of it anyway." Michael said.

 Michael's body remained mostly the same, the differences were that the white of his eyes were now black, scars from the burns could be seen on his torso, and that he smelled like burning garbage. But in the end, he knew it was Michael, there was no mistake about it.

 "But... when..." Terry said, clearly confused.

 "Last night, you know how short those rituals can be." He said, "and don't worry, I don't want to kill you."

 Terry dropped to his knees and gripped his forehead as he said, "This' a hallucination, it has to be! A revenant trying to save a human?"

 "I know it's hard to believe, but I really don't want to hurt you, not unless I have to." Michael said and held out his hand.

 Terry looked up and looked at it for a few moments. It was his friend Michael clearly, but there was one last thing he needed to know.

 "If you really are Michael, then prove it to me..." He said, despite knowing it was him already, "what did you say to me, the night before we went on our first patrol."

 Michael smiled gently and said, "I don't know."

 Terry's eyes widened as he looked at his old friend and reached out for his hand. It wasn't some puppet, I don't know was the phrase they used when they didn't know if they weren't who they thought they were. As he reached for the revenant's hand, Yoshimori stopped him.

  _'Don't do it!'_ Yoshimori yelled in his mind,  _'don't submit to him!'_

Terry pulled his hand back and looked at Yoshimori before yelling,"shut up! You don't know anything! You're just an idiot who thinks he's hot stuff!"

 Yoshimori recoiled in shock and said,  _'T-Terry-'_

 "Don't say my name damn it! You think you can relate to me?! You think I care about you at all?! I never did! The only reason we made a pact was because I used you to stay live! So you can just leave and find a new master!" Terry snapped.

 Yoshimori was shocked and took a few steps back before Nidhogg let off a laugh.

 "How cute," Nidhogg bellowed with a deep laugh, "yet again, you lose another human Yoshimori. I can see how fragile that pact is, and I'm sure it'll break any moment now. It's a real shame, so far, everyone you cared for has died and left you, just like that girl you "loved" when you were still alive!"

 Terry looked at the dragon in surprise, as this sounded like what Yoshimori had told him earlier.

 "Now look at you, quivering like the scared animal you are! Now run along, go and cry to your beloved woman as you always do." Nidhogg said, "you are just a good for nothing, worthless, waste of life after d-" Before Nidhogg could finish, he felt a bullet against his face and turned to Terry to see him holding his smoking gun.

 "That's my demon you're talking to." He said as he got up and walked through the Ghouls, "so I'd suggest shutting up."

 Yoshimori looked at him with glee as Terry stepped before the dragon and beside Yoshimori.

 Nidhogg lowered his head and said, "Oh? And what's a human with a broken arm going to do with a flimsy tool like that? It might as well be a toothpick to m-"

 Terry had shot Nidhogg again and said, "Yoshimori, I've got nothing left to lose by now, so do me a favor, give me a reason not to die."

  _'But... Nidhogg... He's ri-'_

 "Nidhogg doesn't know jack." Terry said.

 "You two really think you can repair the damage to your pact? What kind of fo-"

 Terry shot him again and said, "what was it you said to me? Last night?"

_"From here on out, we fight together against the hordes of enemies... but..."_

"How pitiful, human, your pet already thinks you des-"

 Terry shot him once more and said, "quit moping about and give me a hand already."

  _"but..."_

 "Listen to you, I told you Michael, it wa-" Terry put another round in and Nidhogg spread his wings in anger and yelled, "alright! That's enough! I am Nidhogg, one of the seven dragons who gnaw at the World Tree's roots! I will not stand for this insolence!"

 Terry fired off his last shot and said, "I'm out."

 He tossed his gun aside and heard Yoshimori say,  _"Terry... I can feel your change of heart... but are you sure that you still want me as your demon? Me, the one who killed your friend and ruined your life?"_

"I've lost so many people close to me in this world, first my father, then Nada, now Michael... but I won't lose you. I know how you feel, and I don't want to die knowing you'll rot alone in some ruined attic." He said.

 Yoshimori's eyes closed a moment before he nodded and stepped to Terry's side with a glimmer of renewed hope in his eyes.

  _"You know we'll probably die?"_

 "I wouldn't have it any other way."

 Terry pulled a knife from his coat and held it in a backwards grip as he looked up at the colossal opponent they were faced with. Flames danced from Yoshimori's mouth as the two prepared themselves for what looked to be their deaths, yet neither were too willing to give up and die. Terry and Yoshimori charged towards Nidhogg, who remained stationary so that he could humiliate the Praetorian and his demon. This was a mistake on Nidhogg's part. Nidhogg roared in pain when he felt Terry's blade dug deep into the his flesh while Yoshimori's flames ate away at his scales and turned them to rugged burns that would turn to blisters later on. The only reason he hadn't lost a leg from Yoshimori's attack was his natural resistance to the elements becuase of his dragon blood.

 These wounds seemed to hurt more than what he had previously expected, and upon closer inspection he quickly found the renewed strength of their pact. Signaled by a white line between the two of them, one that had grown larger than any other he had seen, making it the strongest bond he'd seen by far. But their was something else, a blue aura around the two, large and flickering like flames. Only once before had Nidhogg seen something like this. It was their bond with one another. Such a thing was almost impossible to form with a demon, and one as strong as this was only that much more unbelievable. Nidhogg was hesitant to attack, but would not run and allow his pride to be stained.

 As Nidhogg continued to fight, Michael's expression changed to one of concern. He had noticed the bond and knew of its power from old stories he'd read about a man and a demon. He knew that this foe was beyond them so he joined the battle and ordered his ghouls to fight as well. They, however, were frozen with fear and instead tried to escape by climbing the walls out of the large sinkhole. Michael cursed and drew his own gun, a modern pistol that fire bullets of crimson energy as opposed to the purple energy on the Praetorian bullets. He fired off two rounds towards him and missed both shots before tossing it aside and drawing the sacrificial dagger given to him by the cultists who revived him.

 Terry rolled out of the way after Nidhogg tried to catch him in his massive jaws before burying his weapon into it's face and got pulled up into the air when it brought it's head up. His knife slipped out of the wound and he found himself in the air, time seeming to slow down as he looked into the gaping maw of Nidhogg. But before he could become food for the colossal dragon, he felt Yoshimori bash him out of the way after running as fast as he could to save his newfound friend. The only problem was that they were now falling towards the ground at a dangerous speed.

 With quick thinking, Yoshimori got under Terry and breathed a torrent of strong fire once they were close to the ground that pushed them back and left a large patch of molten rock on the ground as they tumbled to the side safely. Terry got up and saw that the Kitsune had reached his limit and looked up to see Nidhogg, covered in wounds and almost shrouded by the amount of particles seeping from his wounds, above them with a strong scowl. Nidhogg battered them to the side with his tail and they crashed into a wall nearby, surviving once again by some miracle but also ending up with a dislocated arm this time. The pain burned his shoulder as he looked at the dragon, it's eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

 However, one last miracle appeared, a mysterious stranger who jumped from the top of the cave. Yet there was something off about him. His body was covered in bronze plates with crimson streams of energy gleaming off and turning into a flowing crimson ribbon at the nape of his neck. He was tall but well built with a T-shaped visor on his helmet. In his hands was a longsword with a black blade and crimson energy flowing up it. Then Terry realized something, the mysterious stranger was possessed, though it was a different kind of possession. All Demons have the ability to possess humans, but they are required to have certain conditions met. This form of possession was stronger than normal possession, a mutual possession was its name. It binds the demon and human into one body and boost their physical prowess tremendously while also offering some magical abilities. The cost was your very flesh. If a mutual Possession occurs, one would be destroyed in about twenty seconds, but this person seemed to be able to handle the power for some reason.

 The stranger took his sword in both hands and dashed with blinding speed to create a long gash across Nidhogg's side, then jumped onto the Dragon's head to rip out it's large fangs with his bare hands. Nidhogg roared out once again but the stranger seemed unaffected and instead took the fang as he jumped onto it's head and buried it into Nidhogg's right eye. He jumped up to sever the dragon's head from it's body but missed when Nidhogg got out of the way too grab Michael. Nidhogg roared in anger before giving a strong beat of his wings that shook the cave and caused giant rocks to fall from the ceiling and bury a good number of the Praetorians in the area, including Terry and Yoshimori.

 Terry tried to protect Yoshimori and managed to do so before they were buried under the rubble, luckily with some breathing room. They heard Nidhogg roar in the distance as he retreated before Yoshimori tried to get up and look at him. He smiled down at the fox and ruffled Yoshimori's head before looking at the rocks over them. The space they were in was small, but also just large  enough so Terry could sit upright if he were slumped against the wall behind him.

 "We're trapped, and you're flames are too stressed." He said, frowning now.

  _"Not entirely, I can still create a small stream of fire and create a hole in the rocks for air."_ Yoshimori informed.

 "You sure? Won't it hurt?"

  _"it'll sting, but it's worth it."_

 Terry nodded and watched Yoshimori begin to create a hole in the rocks for them, noticing a slight wince as the Kitsune quickly burned through. Seeing the demon do this reminded him of how he'd acted towards him, so, he thought it was best only to apologize.

 "Hey," he said, "about how I've been acting lately, I'm sorry about everything I've said. I just... when Michael died, I couldn't help it. I was acting out of anger and I just couldn't help it. I blamed you so much for what happened that I didn't bother to take into consideration that you actually wanted to help."

  _"It's okay, you were right to be angry with me. To hate is to be human, no matter what we will always have our inner demons buried deep inside, clawing and scratching at the walls of our minds to try and escape."_ Yoshimori said as he continued to burn through the rocks.

 "I guess..." Terry said.

  _"you mentioned you lost your father to this world, correct? If it wouldn't be a bother, would you tell me what happened?"_ Yoshimori said as he finished up.

 "If we get out of this alive." Terry said with a smirk.

 Yoshimori nodded before Terry started to call out for help. The duo did what they could before a large demon belonging to one of the Praetorians before they got out. Terry stood up with Yamori's help and smiled up at the Praetorian who had rescued them and received a small nod from him. Then another came up, covered in dirt and bruises with a look of worry on his face.

 "Has anyone seen Kiki?!" He exclaimed.

 "Who?" Terry asked.

 "Kiki! He's a blue skinned ghoul who wouldn't hurt a fly!" He exclaimed.

 "No, but why did you bring a pacifistic ghoul to a fight?" Terry asked.

 "I-I was ordered to! The general wanted all demons on the field! Oh, where are you Kiki..."

 Terry frowned but quickly remembered something from this morning before saying, "you have anything he touched?"

 "U-uh... I have a cloth that Kiki liked to play with, w-why?" The Praetorian said as he handed him a small gray cloth.

 Terry urged Yoshimori to sniff it and the Kitsune did so, then bounded over to a pile of rubble where a squealing could be heard beneath. The Praetorian wasted no time in trying to get the rocks out of the way before a Ghoul with blue skin was found beneath.

 "Kiki!" The Praetorian exclaimed and pulled the ghoul into a hug, which it returned immediately with glee, "Thank you... thank you..."

 Terry smiled and looked at Yoshimori before they decided to help out anyone else who was still alive under the rubble. As they did, he remembered the stranger and looked to see where he was, but found he had disappeared without a trace. Soon the door leading to the settlement opened and out came a pale woman with long red hair wearing an officer's uniform. She gazed around the cave with a serious expression before approaching Terry and Yoshimori.

 "Uh oh." Terry said.

  _"Who's that?"_

 "My commanding officer, Elize Bellford." He said as she stopped before them.

 "Terry," the woman said and pointed at him angrily, "you better start explaining what the Hell happened here, and make it fast!"


	3. Chapter 2: Reminiscence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past should never be forgotten...

_"A Hero Is An Ordinary Person Who Finds The Strength To Persevere And Endure In Spite Of Overwhelming Obstacles." -Christopher Reeve_

 

Yoshimori and Terry sat beside each other in the infirmary,Terry clutching his arm as it rested in a cast after it was dislocated in the fight with Nidhogg while Yoshimori had come out with just a few cuts and bruises, though he wasn't bleeding the crimson particles like he usually would. This was because they were, as mentioned before, cuts and cuts only. Smaller wounds did not allow demons to bleed, though they did still sting sometimes. Yoshimori looked at him and he returned the gaze with a smile and rubbed the kitsune's head with a soft chuckle.

 The two then looked around at the various other Praetorians and demons who had been injured from the fight. They talked and sang, despite their injuries, while wearing faces of joy. He often wondered what drove these men, perhaps it was the victory they had scored, or maybe it was the fact that they had survived an onslaught they had thought to fail when Nidhogg appeared. Nonetheless, morale was at an all time high and that's what mattered most.

 Thinking about the battle, Terry frowned as he thought about the recent events. He remembered the enormous amounts of the Kodotero two days ago, then the appearance of a greater demon like Nidhogg, then Michael's resurrection, and an attempt at sieging their home base? Something was up, even more so when Terry saw a headline on a news article one of the Praetorians was reading.

"Number of Missing Praetorians Grows!" it said.

 Yoshimori noticed his concern and asked, ' _you seem bothered, might I ask why?'_

 "Can you make your telepathy two way?" He asked and got a nod before saying, "do it."

  _'There, what seems to be the issue?'_ Yoshimori asked as Terry felt heavy suddenly in his head.

  _'Look at the headline over there.'_

_'Yes, I see it, it's worrying indeed.'_

_'Think back to the Kodotero, there were so many more than usual. Then Nidhogg and Michael's attack on us, don't you think that's strange that the demons are gathering in such larger numbers all of a sudden?'_

_'I see what you're getting at, I think I may have an answer to it, bu-'_ Yoshimori tried to say before he was cut off by a door opening.

 "Hello everyone~" a girl said after opening the door.

 The girl was a nurse that caught the hearts of every man in the room, aside from Terry's because he was thinking about something else, which was signified by them all yelling "hello Yumi Chan!" at once. Teery looked up and felt Yoshimori's presence leave his head as he looked to the nurse who was tending to the patients injuries at once, making her voice sound extremely sincere. Yumi was a succubus, signified by her horns protruding from her head and her aesthetically pleasing appearance followed by the two bat wings ticking out from her lower spine. gray hair hung down from the teen's head as she teased the men sexually and gave them a concerned tone as well, leading to their own comfort as she did.

 Yoshimori gaze was cold as stone when he watched her, but deep down Terry could tell he was actually slightly affected by the succubus' words, even though they weren't directed towards them. Yoshimori decided to change the subject and regained his thoughts when he looked over at his Praetorian and spoke.

  _"Earlier you told me that you would tell me what happened to your father, is now a good time?"_

 Terry nodded and said, "yeah, I can keep it short if you'd like? It's kind of boring to be honest."

 Yoshimori shook his head and Terry sighed before he began the story.

 He was young when the Requiem occurred. Actually, he was right there when it happened. He was walking down the street with Michael, their minds focused on dumb things that children had found of interest at the time. The two made their way to Terry's father's shop, a small business where they sold electrical components when he was off duty. They entered the shop and were greeted with a man of dark brown hair, steel gray eyes, and pale skin. A short boxed beard wrapped his face in warmth when he looked to the boys with a smile.

 The man's name was Jack, a gentle giant some had come to call him. He greeted the boys, his words unfamiliar to Terry by now because of how long it had been since he'd thought of what his father had said to him, but tried to remember what he'd said, but in the end could not. Instead he described what happened next. It happened so suddenly. His mind could barely process what had happened for a moment, but it became clear seconds after the sudden explosion. He ran outside with Michael and saw the ground rising and making a giant pile of rubble. Michael hid behind him as they watched the seven streams colliding overhead before a beam of blinding white light fired into the ground before them. The two were blown back by the force, Michael regretting hiding behind Terry now, before the two looked awestruck as the rubble crashed all around them.

 Terry's eyes widened when he saw something coming out of the pillar. It looked like a giant wolf the size of a van with glowing orange eyes. It reared its head back and let off a mighty roar that sent off a strong stream of fire before more monsters exited the pillar. Flocks of bat monsters wearing human faces flew out and grabbed the people in a panic. Their sharp fangs dug into necks and tore throats open, leaving the boys in a state of trauma before the giant wolf approached them. Terry could see chains along the wolf's back and what looked like the remains of a muzzle on its face as it opened its jaws and roared.

 Terry then heard a voice in the back of his head saying,  _"Fresh meat!"_

 Moments after that, there was a gunshot, then the wolf reared its head in pain before Jack ran out of the store with glass stuck in his arm. He looked to the boys and urged them to follow, firing off shots into the flock as he led them to his father's truck. Terry and Michael hastily jumped in as the mayhem around them ensued, their faces bearing expressions of shock and confusion. Jack entered a moment later and kicked the car into reverse. The boys heard a loud thump before Jack began to drive hastily downtown. Terry soon was able to recollect his thoughts and looked up to his father and gasped when he saw the glass stuck in his arm.

 "Dad..." He said before they stopped.

 "There's a First Aid kit in the back and some scotch, Terry grab those." Jack said.

 Terry nodded without hesitation before hopping over the seat and into the mess of the small space. He dug around the scattered items until he found what he needed and hopped back to his father's side with a look of worry on his face. He opened the scotch to pour it on his arm but the man grabbed it and put the bottle to his lips to drink. He gave Terry a nod before he gripped the glass and yanked it out of his arm. Jack winced but played the tough guy as blood spattered onto his son's face. It wasn't the first time Terry had tended to his father's injuries, nor was it the first. There was a time when he and his family visited Iraq, what a joy that was. Jack had taken a bullet to his side and Terry, being the only one around at the time, had to extract the bullet from his father. Terry pulled out the rest of the glass before he took the stitches and closed up his father's wound, Michael watching with a horrified expression the whole time.

 Jack began to drive again and said, "we need to get someone."

 The boys remained silent as he drove to a large building that seemed totally empty. Jack angrily honked twice after telling the boys to get in the back before they waited a couple of minutes. A tall and lean man came running out wearing spectacles, a paperboy cap, and an outfit much like a paperboy's. Blond sideburns crawled up the sides of his face while the top of his head was bald, which the two noticed when the cap fell off for a moment. The man ripped open the truck's door before he got in the seat beside Jack and shut it.

 "I told you!" He said as he pointed at Jack, who started to drive home.

 "Yeah, whatever." Jack said.

 "Looks like that 'Religious Malarkey' wasn't so crazy after all! Du widerliches Schwein!" The man exclaimed.

 "You wanna say that in english?"

 "N-No..." The man said and looked down.

 "Then explain to me what's going on. Now." Jack demanded, a serious expression crossing his face.

 "It's the end of the world Jack! Verdammt, ich kann es nicht glauben! It's that light! It's just like Lovecraft's lost work! The Tharanak Hupadgh N'ghft!" The man said.

 "The what?! Listen Anton, tell me what the Hell you're talking about or I will throw you onto the street right now!!"

 "Tharanak Hupadgh N'ghft translates to 'Promise Born of Darkness' dad, it's a book that Lovecraft alluded to in a diary he kept." Terry said in a low and hoarse tone.

 "Wait, you abrought your kid here?! And why does he know R'lyehian?! Wie verrückt bist du?!" Anton exclaimed.

 "Anton!" Jack exclaimed.

 "Right! Right!"

(Back in the infirmary...)

 "Essentially Anton told us that the Seven Streams would-" Before Terry could finish his sentence, Yumi grabbed him by the arm and dragged him and Yoshimori away.

 "Come on~" She sang

 (Elsewhere...)

 The wounded dragon landed outside a subway entrance with Michael atop its head, hopping onto the ground after it lowered it and allowed the cultists to begin the healing rituals as he made his way down the staircase. There in the dilapidated lobby area, four other three other cultists awaited him. The first was tall and bulky with a black leather jacket turned sleeveless after he'd torn the sleeves off. Various tattoos of demonic depictions and curses laid all across his arms and his bald head. A pair of black cargo pants and heavy black combat boots. Beside him was his demon, a lizardman almost twice his size and a bulkier fram with black scales bearing crimson stripes in a tiger skin pattern. The ost notable feature of the demon was his head, large horns that grew outwords and took over the entire top half of his head and made up its upper jaw as well.

 Next was a girl leaning up against the with shoulder length messy black hair with a single patch of icy blue on the left side of her bangs. She had a very thin frame in contrast to the previous man's bulky one while her eyes bore black sceleras and silver irises. She was not a revenant, no. This was a very rare disease one can catch in this time and era, though it has no real effects other than making you look creepy. Her outfit consisted of a black sweater, a white corset, a skirt with white lining, a pair of thigh high stockings with cat designs on the thighs, and a pair of boots as well. Floating near her was a demon with a human like frame and sheets of ice covering areas of its body while the rest was flames twisting like a hurricane.

 Lastly there was a man with long blue hair with eyes like a shimmering ocean. A pitch black suit covered his body followed by a black dress shirt underneath and a red tie as the man stared at Michael with a gaze of what seemed to be a mix of both regal and indifferent tastes. He sat inside a booth, twirling a pen in his hand as he rested his head on his knuckles as well. Behind him was a demon just as refined as the man was. It had a lanky human structure and wore a conductor's coat as well as a top hat and an owl mask bearing a five of spades on the left side and a 2 of diamonds on the right.

 "You live yet... Revenant." Baldy said with a tone of disgust.

 "Good to see you too Marcus." Michael replied, clearly unoffended by Marcus' tone.

 "Oi, Michael, we heard about your failure from the Kodotero. How'd one human and a Kitsune beat you and Nidhogg?" The girl asked.

 "Well Yoma, I would have won that battle, if they didn't have the stupidest amount of luck in the world. I came across a Host with a mutual possession." Michael said, cocking his head in her direction.

 "A mutual possession? Please, Mutual Possession torments the soul for all eternity and consigns them to an eternity in  _The Black._ No human would make that exchange, not even me, and I'm crazy enough that I should do it!" Mia stated.

 "Lets ask the Baron," Michael said and turned to the blue haired man, "what do you think about it? Do you think there's someone who can do that? Be crazy enough to perform a mutual possession?"

 The Baron put the pen down and clasped his hands together before closing his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and approached the back of the room where a desk covered in papers laid. He picked up one of the papers and gave a long sigh before setting it down and turning back to the group.

 "Yes." He responded in a tone lacking emotion, "but only under certain circumstances."

 "Wait, what circumstances?" Mia asked.

 "As we all know, The Black is a place that breaks you, mentally and physically. All demons fear it, and so should we, but what if we say a person has lost everyone they care about? What if they had lived through the loneliness for years? What if, they had already suffered more pain than we could imagine? I believe that there is someone out there who is like that, and I believe Michael had already found them. Tell me, what did they look like?"

 "U-uh, well, like a knight I guess. Had a glowing sword and these weird marks all over his armor, bronze I think."

 "Did he wear a scarf?"

 "N-no? Sort of? It was made out of energy I think."

 "I see..."

 "Do you think its him?" Marcus chimed.

 "Yes, without a doubt."

 "Wait, who is this guy?" Mia asked.

 The Baron exited the booth and said, "order the Brimstone Company to fall back, now."

 (Downtown Ruins...)

 The Brimstone company chased their prey, a pair of praetorians, down the street. Their leader was the largest, clad in black armor and holding onto a massive flaming halberd as he rode atop an Elder Hellhound, the most ancient of the Hellhound species. They followed the two praetorians into an abandoned Hotel building, where they seemed to have backed them into a corner. The leader let off a laugh and ordered two of his soldiers to go in and finish the job.

 They rode into the darkness of the building, the flames of the hellhound's tracks dying quickly. There was a long silence as a minute passed. Then another, then another, then another before the troops looked at one another, trying to figure out why the soldiers hadn't finished their job yet. They soon had their answer. A single hellhound bounded out of the building, a pipe through its backside before it tripped and fell over onto its side before the leader, dissipating and letting the pipe clang to the ruined cement. Attatched to the spear was a sack the size of a ball, which the leader grabbed after getting off his mount. He opened the sack and sitting in there was the decapitated head of one of his troops. The company had become frozen with fear as they all gazed at the severed head in shock. It had been preserved in heated holy water, something that preserved their bodies before dissipating versus cold holy water which speeds up dissipation.

 The head quickly disappeared before the sound of metal clanking on the ground could be heard. They all looked forward and there before them was the knight who had beaten back Nidhogg and Michael. The leader, in a fit of rage, roared at his men to attack, and so they did, without hesitation and with vengeance for their fallen comrade in mind as well.

(The infirmary...)

 Terry sighed as he held his shoulder, which was sore from the doctor popping it back into place. Yoshimori on the other hand, seemed refreshed from the healing rituals. The demon found them to be soothing and quite nice despite how painful it looked. Yoshimori seemed to be humming to himself after the whole ordeal while Terry grouchily made his way back to his home.

 The two were silent and quite frankly, the fact that the Kitsune had to use telepathy to hum was even more so. It was sort of like sharing the same body in a way honestly. But Terry let it happen since he was clearly not going to try and anger a Kitsune.

 By the time they reached his home, however, they saw that the someone had been waiting for them. It was Michael's mother, who was waiting by the front door for him. Terry and Yoshimori exchanged glances for a moment before they approached her.

 "E-excuse me, Mi-"

 "Terry!" She said and ran over to him, pulling him into a tight hug.

 "Oh! Umm, well, is everything alright?" He asked.

 "Terry, I'm so sorry I yelled at you earlier! You know I think of you like part of the family! Please! Forgive me!" She said and started to sob.

 "I-it's okay!" He said, "you had every right to be angry!"

 "Thank you..." She said and pulled away, "I'm sorry, I'm still in mourning and... I just need more time to get over Michael's death..."

 "Mi-"

 "Susan, please, call me Susan."

 "Okay, Susan, there's something you need to know, Michael-"

 "Is a Revenant now... I know... I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry... I should be getting home now."

 "Okay, I understand," Terry said and watched her go before calling her out again.

 She looked back to him puffy eyed before he realized that he didn't know what to tell her, but then he said something he thought he probably shouldn't have.

 "I promise, I'll put your son to rest."

 He felt like he shouldn't have, but she smiled and thanked him nonetheless before she walked off. Yoshimori sat at his side and watched a moment before he spoke as well.

  _"Is now a good time to learn the rest of the story?"_

 Terry sighed before he said, "get in and take a seat. I'll just skip to the end."

 Yoshimori complied and made his way to the side of the recliner before Terry sat down in the chair and continued the story.

(The Day of The Final Wave...)

 Jack was in the briefing room beside Anton, listening to the plan that was to close the Well of Souls once and for all, or at the very least, contain it so that they could figure out what to do next. To do this, they needed to protect an osprey carry a bomb powerful enough to level 5 entire city blocks and make sure the payload gets delivered. Anton sat on a crate as Jack came over, two beers cracked open in hand as he did. Anton looked up at him, an expression of worry on his face as he fidgeted with a rubber band in his hands.

 Jack sat next to the scientist who was soon to be his co-pilot in the mission that had no guarantee would work, but they had to try something. He handed him one of the beers, Anton sighing as he took it and looked at the fluids inside it. The stench of alcohol was more apparent than you'd expect from your average beer, leaving Anton to wonder what the hell was in this drink.

 "It's Lyubov's special brew," Jack said and took a swig before he scrunched up his forehead at its taste, "damn that's strong..."

 "And it tastes like piss..." Anton said after having a taste.

 Jack took another long drink before saying, "you're worried."

 "I'm not worried." Anton said as they looked out of the open hangar, "what makes you think I'm worried?"

 "It's written all over your face. Scared of heights?" Jack said as he looked at the beam in the distance.

 "I don't care about heights, I'm more worried about whether or not this'll actually work." Anton said, "do you have any smokes on you?"

 "I ain't a smoker Anton, you know that." Jack said, "don't worry though, Angel Team is made up of the best we have."

 "I just hope it's enough." Anton said before the two were silent for a minute.

 Yet that silence was broken when Jack said, "do you have a son Anton?"

 "Yes, in Germany, why do you ask?"

 "Well, Terry used to beg me to take him to a park to play catch, I never was able to make time though."

 "So, in a way he grew up without his father?"

 "Yeah."

 "Verdammt, it must have been hard growing up for the boy."

 "Yeah..."

 Silence once more. The two drank before a siren sounded in the distance, letting them know everything was ready. In a matter of minutes, the team was in the air in formation. Anton sat behind Jack monitoring the equipment as they flew off with an osprey following close behind.

 "Angel Actual to Angel Squad, checking in." Jack said.

 "Angel 2 Checking in."

 "Angel 4 Checking in."

 "Angel 5 Checking in."

 "Angel 6 Checking in."

 "What happened to Angel 3?"

 "Heard he's gone Elvis."

 "Probably demon chow."

 "Quiet Angel Squad, our job is to escort the payload to the target and light it up. Protect it at all costs. Dr. Anton Mueller here will fill you in on the details."

 "Right, the 'Well of Souls', as we're calling it, appears to be the only known gateway in the entire world. The monsters before us are demons sprung up in various religions and folklore along with previously unknown demons as well. This gateway, at first glance, seems impossible to shut but we believe that with a powerful enough force used against it we can possibly shut the gate permanently. But the demons won't let us near it, hence why you're here. We should expect heavy resistance on the way there."

 "Ya hear that Angel Squad? That means get ready for a big fight!"

 Minutes passed and there had been no fight, yet the entire team was mentally prepared for whatever came. Or so they thought. The first wave of the demons came, Alatumors. The team wasn't scared of them, though the fact that they came in great numbers was slightly unnerving. The team let off streams of gunfire into the cloud of demons which was followed by the sight of corpses dissipating as they fell to the ground. Angel 6 yelled various swears as he shot them down, slightly frightening Anton because of how much fun he was having shooting down demons. They would not hold them back for long however.

 The demons were quickly dealt with, however, five larger demons about the size of the fighter jets arose. Dire Alatumors, as they are called today. They bore the same traits of a normal Alatumor, although they had lizard-like heads with two sets of fangs on their lower jaw. The Dire Alatumors were able to dodge the bullets flying towards them with ease. While Angel 2 and Jack had defeated their own, Angel 4 had to deal with one that had latched onto his fighter. The pilots panicked as the demon screeched at them and burned a hole through the window and screeched at the two helpless pilots. From a distance, all Jack couls see was the blood splattered windshield as the creature feasted on the two pilots while screams came through on the comms.

 "You son of a bitch!" Angel 6 yelled over the comms.

 The demon was about to take flight but once his had left the jet it quickly found itself splattered against Angel 6's jet. Just as Angel 6 had finished, another tried to do the same to him, but instead of dying screaming in despair, he took a knife and yelled something about taking it down with him if he was going to die before the jet was losing altitude. It crashed into the side of a building before it was followed by an explosion moments after. Jack was clearly upset, but had no time to mourn any losses, for the next wave was about to hit.

 The next was a succubus and incubus, whom moved through the air with great speed. The incubus took on the form of a pale man with long flowing locks of black hair and amber eyes as well as a well built frame, lastly a loincloth laid wrapped around his waist, barely able to contain his package. Meanwhile the succubus took the form of a pale woman with short silvery hair and tantalizing purple eyes. Her own body was smooth and with a well endowed bust and thick hips. Her attire consisted only of a cloak around her shoulders that covered just over her underbreast while around her hips was a bat-like thong. The sexualized forms were made for a single purpose in mind- seduction, as was their reason for existence.

 Angel 2 didn't know what happened, but the incubus had somehow gotten into her her jet beneath her. Where she felt fear was quickly replaced by his gentle touch, his warm tongue along the side of her neck, and his sweet scent. The incubus seduced the pilot with groping, massaging, and rubbing while her co-pilot rested behind her with his throat slashed open. The Incubus gave her promises of pleasure, he made promises of an everlasting bliss, all as long as she gave up her freedom for him. Jack could hear Angel 2, who quickly accepted the demon's deal before he watched her get carried off to become the Incubus' sex slave.

 His lack of focus allowed the Succubus to do the same and somehow enter the jet, on his lap. She chuckled seductively and rested herself on his lap to press her body against his. Anton was still fine, just in case you were wondering. He stared into her eyes with a burning hatred as she attempted to seduce him as well, and the worst part was that it was working. Jack listened to her tell him that things were alright, that everything was okay and that she would make it all better. She promised him what the Incubus had promised Angel 2.

 "Jack!" Anton tried to say before she shushed him with some kind of demonic ability.

 "Don't listen to him, he doesn't understand your pain, but I do." She said, "I can give you a fresh start, I can give you the son you could raise and the loving wife you could sleep beside at night, don't you want that?"

 Jack did want that, but as tempting as it was, he was able to reject her after seeing a picture of his wife and son attached to the side.

 "No." He said before he wrapped an arm around her throat after spinning her around.

 He chocked her out for a moment before placing a hand on her head and snapping the demon's neck with ease before she dissipated. Jack gathered himself before turning his focus back to the mission at hand. There was no final wave it seemed, yet even if there was they would have to be the fastest ones they had because the payload had reached its destination.

 "We did it..." Anton said as the osprey hovered near the pillar, "we actually did it..."

 Yet he spoke too soon. The second the bomb was ready, the final wave had appeared. A massive worm-like demon passed the gateway and chomped down on the Osprey in one go. It let off a terrifying roar before there was a massive explosion within it, decapitating the demon before the two looked in despair.

 "No..." Jack said before he had a thought, "Anton, I need you to do something."

 "Impossible..." Anton said.

 "Anton!"

 "W-what?!" Anton said and snapped out of his trance.

 "Listen to me, and listen closely." He said and got a nod from the German, "I need you to go to my son... tell him... tell him I'm sorry I was a terrible father."

 Before Anton could ask what he meant, he pulled a switch that ejected Anton into the air and slowly let him fall to the ground safely. Anton panicked before he noticed something about Jack. He was clutching the picture close to his chest, eyes shut as he embraced his fate. He moved downward to the base of the pillar before crashing into it. His sacrifice disrupted the well and stopped its growth, which was signaled by how the pillar had lessened and stopped pulsing.

(The Present)

 Terry sighed as he finished the story before he said, "well, any questions?"

  _'One, actually,'_ Yoshimori said,  _'how did you know what happened without being at your father's side?'_

 "Remember Anton? He told me." He said, "that guy's still alive."

 Before anything else, a Praetorian burst into his home and said, "you need to see this! Some girls came in looking all beat up!"


End file.
